Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing

Plain language summary

We have heard stories of important inventions that have resulted from studying the genes (the units of DNA by which information is passed from parent to offspring) of plants, animals and microbes. The Convention on Biological Diversity recognizes that sharing benefits from the use of genetic resources provides an incentive to conserve them and use them sustainably. The Nagoya Protocol was developed to help countries achieve the Convention’s benefit-sharing goal. It aims to ensure countries, Indigenous peoples and local communities that provide genetic resources can fairly benefit from those important innovations that result from the study of genes.

Objective

The Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The objective of the Nagoya Protocol is:

Key elements

The Protocol includes provisions to establish predictable conditions for access to genetic resources as well as specific obligations to support compliance with the domestic legislative or regulatory requirements of the Party providing the genetic resources. The Protocol establishes a framework to monitor utilization of genetic resources, including an ABS clearing house and national checkpoints.The Protocol also contains provisions in order to share the benefits arising from the utilization of traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources with the indigenous and local communities holding such knowledge.

Expected results

The Nagoya Protocol aims to provide legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources by establishing predictable conditions for access to genetic resources and through measures to support compliance with the regulatory or legislative requirements of the Party providing the genetic resources. It also aims to help indigenous and local communities to benefit from the use of the knowledge, innovations and practices which they hold.

By supporting benefit-sharing, the Nagoya Protocol creates incentives to conserve and sustainably use genetic resources, and therefore enhances the contribution of biodiversity to development and human well-being.

Canada’s involvement

Although Canada is a Party to the CBD and hosts the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity based in Montreal, Canada is not a Party to the Nagoya Protocol. However, Canada may become a Party to the Nagoya Protocol at any time, through accession.

There is currently no single, comprehensive access and benefit-sharing (ABS) system in place in Canada to govern access to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge or to facilitate the sharing of benefits arising from their use.

Currently, some laws and regulations at the federal, provincial and territorial levels cover some of the elements of ABS for various genetic resources in Canada.

At the federal level, an interdepartmental committee on ABS has been looking at this issue.

Results / progress

Activities

The Nagoya Protocol entered into force on October 12, 2014. The Third Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) was held in November 2018 in conjunction with the Fourteenth Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP14) in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

Reports

N/A

Progress

Canada has been engaging with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities and governments as well as interested stakeholders on federal ABS policy, and will continue to examine the implications for Canada of acceding to the Nagoya Protocol.